Fartlek. Such an odd little word. It is Swedish for "speed play". I have been running to get into some kind of shape. And when I say "some kind", I am aiming for "good" but will accept "better".
Anyway, everytime I run, I am running an exact 10 minute mile. No more, no less. I am thinking of volunteering as some sort of replacement for the atomic clock, because my miles are so exactly 10 minutes. So, since I really don't know much about running, I thought I'd do a little web research to find ways to improve my times. And, lo and behold, I discovered fartlek. For those of you not clicking the link, it's a type of interval training. To be specific, I did the Gerschler Fartlek which is as follows:
10 minutes warm up jog.
Repeat 3 times - Stride hard for 30 seconds, jog 90 seconds. repeat with 15 second decreases in recovery jog e.g. 30-90, 30-75, 30-60, 30-45, 30-30, 30-15 and 30-15-30.
10 minute warm down jog
I have only done it once, but I will let you know if there is any improvement. The only thing I didn't like about it was I really had to pay attention to my watch. The one positive that running holds for me is the ability to zone out and think about anything or nothing. The fartlek run required strict attention to timing.
As a side note, my January resolutions towards getting in shape have definitely paid off. I started out weighing 223 and am now down to 208. I really haven't changed much in terms of eating so I don't feel I am suffering. On the contrary, I am feeling real accomplishment so far.
So all you experienced journalers out there can laugh at me now. How stupid was I to make a layout related to the months of the year? I mean, I barely have time to write entries sometime, so what made me think that I would be able to create a different layout every month? Duh!
I had such plans for March when I was making the February hearts things. I think I'll play around until I find a layout that I like and then only change once a year (if that).
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